Geoffrey Chaucer

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Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer was a poet, a writer, and of course a diplomat. Geoffrey Chaucer was born in the early hours of 1340s to John Chaucer, a vintner and assistant to the king's butler. As a boy, he was a leaf to the Countess of Ulster. (Lombardi) Chaucer was the most famous for writing his unfinished Canterbury tales. (Geoffrey Chaucer) He was born in London, only problem is, the exact date and place are unknown. From his writings Chaucer emerges as poet of love, both worldly and heavenly. No information exists about his early education, although without a doubt he would have been as good in French as in the Middle English of his time. (Bio.True Story) Chaucer pops up in the record books in 1357 he was working for the queen. In the middle ages it was custom for boys to work for a royal family, to gain popularity and fame. (GradeSaver)

Chaucer's very first poem was “The Book of the Duchess”. A poem of over 1,300 lines, the poem was originally a funeral song for the Duchess of Lancaster.(GradeSaver) This poem was published in 1370. To write The Book of Duchess Chaucer used a new style of writing, a “Dream-Vision”. This new genre was a type of 13th-century love poem, which Chaucer translated into English. (GradeSaver) During the next twelve or fifteen years there was no question that Chaucer was constantly engaged in writing new stories, though for the first part of his stories he had no job, no income was available. Rich favors were shown him by the new king. (Jokinen)He was paid twenty two dollars as a reward for his later missions in Edward III's reign, and was allowed an annual bonus of ten marks in addition to his pay of ten dollars as comptroller of the customs of wool. (Jokinen)

In the sixteenth century,...

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...e a diplomat. Known for his amazing Canterbury tales, Chaucer set the bar for writers in mid evil times, and even now a day.

Works Cited

Bio.True Story. 2010. 25 February 2010 .

Geoffrey Chaucer. 2009. 25 February 2010 .

GradeSaver. 2010. 25 February 2010 .

Info Please. 2007. 25 February 2010 .

Jokinen, Anniina. Antology of English Lit. 5 September 2009. 25 February 2010 .

Lombardi, Esther. Geoffrey Chaucer. 2010. 22 March 2010 .

Read Print. 2010. 25 February 2010 .

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